Variable feed mill throat for admitting whole bales of hay



P 1950 K. D. COLE 2,954,176

VARIABLE FEED MILL THROAT FOR ADMITTING WHOLE BALES OF HAY Filed Jan. 30, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I FIG. 3 /2I WW W IIIII IIIIII I I1 I I l 1,,i I 1 l4" I i I :1 I g .55! 27 i I0 I; 4 FIG. 2 FIG. 4

.. I4 I vn mu i? if: 1 54 36 I 32 I I I i 2 I I I /|4 I9 i I 50 30: I4 I I3": I I2 I 1 C 1 INVENTOR K. D. COLE BY ATTORNEY K. D. COLE VARIABLE FEED MILL THROAT FOR ADMITTING Sept. 27, 1960 I WHOLE BALES OF HAY 2. Sheets-Sheet'2 FIG.6

Filed Jan. 30, 1956 FIG. 5

FIG. 8

FIG.7

INVENTOR K.D.COLE

ATTORNEY United StatesPatent VARIABLE FEED MILL THROATFOR ADNIITTING WHOLE BALES 0F HAY Knox D. Cole, Rte. 4, Hattiesburg, Miss.

Filed Jan. 30, 1956, Ser. No. 562,044

2 Claims. (Cl. 241-186) This invention relates to the reduction of materials of various kinds including particularly those used for the feeding of animals and the like (other than human beings), and where a series of materials are reduced in size and combined with others to provide a balanced diet for livestock.

More particularly the invention relates to mills in Mills of various kinds have been produced, including those employing a series of hammers for grinding or reducing materials within the same. However, these have not been fully satisfactory because of the fact that they were complicated, expensive, easily jammed, or' otherwise failed to effectively perform the function for which they were created. They were of. limited usefulness in that they were incapable of grinding materials of widely different characteristics such as shelled corn and whole bales of hay, due at least in part to the manner in which the materials to be reduced were supplied to the machine. Either the throat or inlet of the machine was 'too'small load could contact the same and exert force in excess of that utilized for driving the machine causing the mill to stall.

' It is an object of the invention to overcome the difficu-ltics enumerated and to provide a variable feed mill throat or inlet for hammer mills in which the proper relation between materials to be ground and the grinding mechanism is maintained and in which the throat or inlet can be varied in size to accommodate materials of widely different shape and size whether they be, for example, on the order of small grain, or massive such as, for example, whole bales of hay.

Another object of the invention is to provide a variable feed mill throat for hammer mills which is of inexpensive, simplified, durable, and efiicient construction and which can be readily applied to mills already in use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mill throat or inlet for the introduction of materials to be ground or reduced in size and in which the bottom of the throat or inlet is located centrally over the grinding mechanism to cause the material to move downwardly by gravity onto the central portion of the grinding mechanism, thereby to accelerate and improve the operation as well as to provide a mill throat or inlet capable of being contracted or expanded in accordance with the material to be reduced in size.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive variable feed replacement mill throat or inlet, the size of which can be changed in accordance with the material to be reduced whether it be relatively fine or massive in character and in which the relation of the inlet to the grinder mechanism is such that the load will not exceed the capacity of the machine as well as a variable feed mill throat or inlet capable of admitting 2,954,176 Patented Sept. 27, 1960 whole bales of hay and in which the size or amount of the material admitted can be controlled either by sliding, rotating or swinging members.

' Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section illustrating one application of the invention;

Fig. 2, a similar view of a modified type of structure;

Fig. 3; a similar viewof a different form of the invention; r a

Fig. 4, a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5, a vertical section of a modified form of eccentric roller; a

Fig. 6, a vertical section through a further modified form of the invention;

Fig. 7, a section on line 7-7 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 8, a section on line 8--8 of Fig. 6.

, Briefly stated, the present invention is a rnillthroat or inlet, either as a new or replacement unit for a hammer mill or the like employed for reducing the size of materials, such mill throat or inlet being designed to permit the introduction of materials, from those which are relatively fine in character to those which are relatively coarse and bulky, such-as a whole bale of hay, thereby enlarging the usefulness of this type of mill and regulating the relationship between the grinding mechanism and the material introduced in such a manner that although'the size of the charge is increased the load on the driving mechanism is not allowed to become excessive.

The present invention includes a mill throat or inlet having a side capable of being swung, slid or rotated for or else the grinding mechanismwas so exposed that the Y enlarging or reducing the area through which the material to be reduced is admitted to the machine and so that the material will gravitate into contact with the rotary mechanism of the machine centrally onto the same and in an amount which will cause the load to be applied gradually and not excessively but due to such construction the operation. and capacity of the machine will be accelerated and otherwise improved.

With continued reference to. the drawings, a hammer mill of conventional construction comprises a casing 10 and rotary mechanism including discs 11' with hammers 12 for striking and breaking material into smaller particles in the usual manner.

Above the casing 10 is mounted a mill throat or inlet whichcan be used on new mills or as replacements for mills alreadyin existence. This mill inlet is composed of parallel fixed side walls 13 and 14, fixed connecting end wall 15, and an opposed curved end wall 16 connecting sidewalls 13 and 14.

The side walls 13 and 14 are provided with spaced ear 17 attached to the casing 10 by means of pivots 18. Between the side walls 13 and 1-4 are disposed movable throat or inlet walls 19 and 20, the wall 19 being connected at its upper end by a hinge 21 with the wall 15 and the wall 20 being connected at its lower end by a hinge 22 with the upper end of the curved end wall 16.

Determination of the angularity of the end member 20 is determined by means of a perforated lug 21 and a series of openings 22' in the members 13 and 14 and transverse bar 23. By the angularity of the inlet plates 19 and 20 the proper size of the throat and relation of the charge admitted to the reducing hammers is determined.

Adjustment of the inlet plate 19 is determined by means of a bar 24 having spaced perforations 24 connected by a hinge 25 with the plate 19 and with its opposite end extending through a slot 26 in the plate 15 and secured by pin 27 in one of the holes 24' in a bracket 28. Feed introduced into the mill throat or adjustable inlet throat will gravitate to the center of the mill and since the hammers move in a contra-clockwise direction the position of the lower end of the plate 19 in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 determines the charge admitted. In order to prevent excessive accumulation of material introduced suflicient to cause an overload to be placed upon the mill, a baflle 29 is attached to the end wall 15, proportionate adjustment of the inlet plates 19 and 20 determines the capacity of the material which can be held between them. Adjustment of the plate 19' or other re spective members determines the amounts of material admitted to the hammers.

Instead of the plate 19 being mounted by means of a hinge at its upper end, a slideable plate 19' may be mounted between guides 30 and 31, such plate being provided with spaced racks 32 for engagement by pinions 33 fixed to a shaft 34 mounted in bearings 35, and such shaft being provided on one end with a crank 36 so that upon rotation of the crank the pinions 33 would be rotated to move the plate 19 upwardly and downwardly.

Instead of a swinging plate. 19 or sliding plate 19' an elongated oval member 37 may be employed at one side of the throat or inlet, suchelongated oval member being fixed to a shaft 38 which extends through the walls 13 and 14 and when rotated will control the inlet of the material. In order to prevent the accumulation of material behind the same, a bafile 39 is provided which'is similar to the bafiie 29. a

In lieu of the oval elongated member 37 of Fig. 3, a round bar 40 is eccentrically mounted on a rotary shaft 38, rotatable by a crank 36, as shown in Fig. 7. By rotation of the bar the size of the throat or inlet can be varied.

In Fig. 6 is disclosed an embodiment corresponding to that of Fig. 1 except that the swinging plate 19 is suspended vertically by means of a hinge 42 and a top 43 and a lid 44 mounted by means of a hinge 45 are provided.

It is obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a hammer mill including a casingenclosing rotary disk structure mounted on a horizontal, transverse axis of rotation, a hopper-like inlet structure opening transversely above said disk structure and including parallel, spaced, vertical side walls at opposite ends of said transverse axis of rotation of the disk structure, a vertical connecting wall extending transversely between said side walls in spaced relation from said disk structures, an

arcuate end wall eircumposed partially about the outer periphery of said disk structure in opposed relation to said vertical connecting wall and transversely between said side walls, said arcuate end wall terminating in a transverse edge spaced from a vertical plane passing centrally through said disk structure, a vertically pivotal and adjustable inlet wall, hingedly connected to the said transverse edge between said side walls for controlling the gravity flow of material toward said disk structure,

a second inlet Wall inclined in diverging relationship to said first mentioned inlet wall and extending transversely between said side walls, said second inlet wall including a lower transverse edgespaced from the outer periphery of said disk structure for determining the throat-opening for material passing into engagement withsaid disk structure, opposed guide means on said second inlet wall for maintaining the angular inclination thereof, and rack and gear means including cooperating portions on said second inlet wall and vertical connecting wall operable to adjust. the spacing of the transverse edge of said second inlet wall with respect to the outer periphery of said disk structure to vary the throat opening of the feed mill.

2. The structure of claim 1 including a fixed bafile extending transversely of said vertical connecting wall and the outer periphery of said disk structure in spaced relation beneath the transverse edge of said second inlet wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,410,636 Williams Mar. 28, 1922 1,424,225 Williams Aug. 1, 1922 1,439,781 Williams Dec. 26, 1922 1,772,874 Meyer Aug. 12, 1930 1,828,490 Clement Oct. 20, 1931 1,975,406 Reschke Oct. 2, 1934 2,148,022 Haaland Feb. 21, 1939 2,158,240 Mankoff May 16, 1939 2,233,727 Bell Mar. 4, 1941 2,241,667 Mankoff May 13, 1944 2,492,872 Knight June 22, 1949 2,515,923 Hausen July 18, 1950 2,764,361 Moore Sept. 25, 1956 2,767,929 West Oct. 23, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 284,753 Germany June 5, 1915 661,434 France Mar. 5, 1929 692,601 Germany June 22, 1940 583,515 England Dec. 20, 1946 

